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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bat — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — happening now
  21. shower — rain
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lash — to lash out

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