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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rule — a law
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mark — a trace
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — part of the body

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