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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pop — music
  7. last — finally
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. last — to go on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pop — to visit
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. row — a line
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. patient — a sick person

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