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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. rash — a series
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. branch — a division
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chip — to eat
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cold — an illness
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — hasty

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