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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — after costs
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. row — a line
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spring — the season
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — a quarrel

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