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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chair — a leader
  4. firm — steady
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — to crush
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — a series
  15. firm — a company
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. firm — decided
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. squash — the vegetable

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