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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. present — a gift
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. current — of water
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — a stone
  12. current — electric
  13. present — the time now
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — in biology
  18. present — there
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ground — a position
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — the sport

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