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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. roll — a list
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com