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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. squash — the sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. club — a group
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — for golf
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — from a university
  17. club — for dancing
  18. court — of law
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — to crush

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