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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pop — soda
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lash — to lash out

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