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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pop — music
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. race — a contest
  6. bark — to shout
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. race — the arms race
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ball — a great time

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