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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. court — for sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — newspapers
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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