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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tube — the underground
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — a container
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — music
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. squash — the sport
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. swing — in golf
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tube — in a tire

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