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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. suit — to fit
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — final
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — wild animals
  13. suit — in cards
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pit — a hole
  17. charge — electricity
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. game — a match
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — the season
  24. pit — in a race

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