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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fine — all right
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pop — music
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pop — soda
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. squash — the vegetable

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