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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rock — music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rock — a stone
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — the season
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. spring — of water
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. squash — the sport

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