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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 120 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: pop · cold · squash · mine · suit · kid · lash · staff

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. kid — child
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pop — soda
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kid — to tease
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mine — belonging to me

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