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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — hasty
  4. race — a contest
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. season — in sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pop — music
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pop — soda
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. race — humankind
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rash — a series
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lean — thin
  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