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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. root — of a word
  7. kick — in football
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. root — the cause
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hand — help
  18. fork — in a road
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — moving air

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