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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a match
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rest — a break
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in biology
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  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