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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. firm — a company
  9. squash — to crush
  10. firm — decided
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — a break
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chip — for betting
  20. firm — steady
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — a division

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