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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. season — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — of the year
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mark — a trace

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