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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · row · key · kid · band · pit · lash · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. row — to paddle
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a music group
  11. kid — child
  12. row — a line
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — in music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chip — to eat
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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