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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pound — a weight
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. can — to be able to
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cell — a phone
  22. can — a tin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — the sport

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