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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chair — a leader
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mug — a face

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