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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.

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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. squash — the sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. key — in music
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. plane — a tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — humankind
  15. stock — goods
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — help
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. race — a contest
  21. stock — shares
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. squash — to crush
  24. key — the most important part

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