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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mug — a face
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. object — a thing
  19. cap — a lid
  20. object — an aim
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a cup
  24. object — to protest

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