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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bound — obliged

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