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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: chair · prune · bay · squash · game · pop · lash · ruler

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. game — a match
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — soda
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pop — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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