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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. swing — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — a series
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rush — hurry
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. tear — from crying

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