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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — happening now
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pop — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. current — of water
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rest — a break
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — to handle
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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