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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. suit — in cards
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. spring — of water
  7. toast — bread
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — the season
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. squash — to crush
  21. suit — to fit
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. suit — clothes
  24. hide — to keep secret

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