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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.

Make a worksheet

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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fall — the season
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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