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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bear — the animal
  3. row — a line
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — letters
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — a trail
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spell — magic
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. squash — to crush
  18. present — the time now
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kid — child
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. present — there
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bear — the animal

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