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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. squash — the sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. craft — a skill
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — a position
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — the tool
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lash — an eyelash

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