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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. scale — in music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — thin
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — help
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. hand — in cards

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