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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — the most important part
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — hasty
  7. key — in music
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pass — a permit
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. track — to keep track
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — a song
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rash — a series
  24. squash — to crush

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