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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — boats
  11. chest — a box
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. squash — to crush
  14. craft — a skill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — on your feet

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