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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. race — the arms race
  16. spring — the season
  17. race — humankind
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — a series
  21. game — wild animals
  22. perch — the fish
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — a contest

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