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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. court — of law
  3. race — the arms race
  4. court — of a king
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. swing — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — a contest
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lash — to lash out

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