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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bark — to shout
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chip — for betting

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