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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bulb — for light
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. can — to be able to
  13. net — for catching
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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