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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — the season
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. kick — in football
  18. tube — a container
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — the vegetable

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