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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. can — a tin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — magic
  20. season — in sport
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — to eat

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