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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. deal — to handle
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — in music

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