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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. plane — a tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. plane — in geometry

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