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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tube — a container
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. snap — to click
  10. fine — high quality
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — a price
  13. pit — a hole
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — in a race
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fine — all right
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — a line
  22. squash — to crush
  23. charge — in control
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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