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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — thin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — rain
  16. rest — a break
  17. fall — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lash — an eyelash

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