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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wake — a trail
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for golf
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. perch — the fish
  16. club — a group
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chip — for betting
  21. club — for dancing
  22. shower — rain
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. perch — for a bird

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