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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a grade
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — a trace
  9. last — finally
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — to go on
  18. march — music
  19. row — to paddle
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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