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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — in football
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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