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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — the animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — high quality
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bank — for money
  14. fine — all right
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — music
  19. track — a song
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — a match
  23. lash — to lash out
  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