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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cap — a hat
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bulb — for light

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