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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: rush · last · kid · lash · face · stick · mate · squash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — finally
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. squash — to crush
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — child
  24. face — to point toward

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