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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. squash — the sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. staff — employees

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