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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 120 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. swing — to play on
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cold — not warm
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. race — humankind
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. race — the arms race
  14. swing — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — an illness
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — to crush
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. march — the month

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