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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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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a ring
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — for digging
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. row — a line
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. staff — a stick
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stock — shares
  21. mug — to rob
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — the vegetable

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