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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rash — a series
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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