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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to click
  3. club — for golf
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. season — in sport
  16. club — for dancing
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — the time now
  20. club — a group
  21. squash — to crush
  22. present — there
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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