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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pit — a hole
  9. game — wild animals
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. game — a match
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. chair — a leader
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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