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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: deal · squash · cue · rest · tear · pop · lean · lash

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rest — a break
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. squash — the sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pop — soda
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pop — to visit
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cue — a hint
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a signal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pop — music

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