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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bass — low music
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — to eat

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