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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: kid · game · lash · squash · racket · wake · chest · mark

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kid — child
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chest — a box

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