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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. squash — the sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bass — low 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