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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. land — to come down
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — a stone
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. land — ground
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rock — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. squash — the sport

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