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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — a hat
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. march — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. squash — the sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pop — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. squash — to crush
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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