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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. current — electric
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. squash — the sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. current — of water
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ground — a position

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