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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pop — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — soda
  17. squash — to crush
  18. race — humankind
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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