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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. craft — boats
  16. ball — a great time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — a box
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spell — letters
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spell — magic

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