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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. squash — to crush
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. land — ground
  6. cell — a phone
  7. net — in sport
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. land — to come down
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fine — high quality
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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