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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. object — a thing
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chest — a box
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. object — to protest
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. object — an aim
  16. fork — in a road
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to click
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — of your body

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