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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. file — a line of people

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