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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bank — for money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — employees
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bank — of a river
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — for money
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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