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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. swing — to play on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. root — the cause
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — of a word
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. object — a thing
  21. race — a contest
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — an aim
  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