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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. club — for golf
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pop — music
  9. club — for dancing
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pop — soda
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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