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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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