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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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Word bank
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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: lash · toast · squash · mug · game · craft · chair · face

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. craft — a skill
  3. squash — to crush
  4. mug — a cup
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mug — a face

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