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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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 sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fall — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. object — a thing
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bulb — for light
  11. object — an aim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — a law
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. rule — government

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