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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mug — to rob
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. race — humankind
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fall — the season
  24. cell — a phone

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