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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. spell — a short time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a face
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — magic
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spell — letters
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — a box
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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