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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. squash — to crush
  9. roll — a list
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — a trail
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lash — an eyelash

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