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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: date · lash · scale · racket · cold · bear · mug · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cold — an illness
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — to rob
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. scale — in music
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — a face
  16. date — the fruit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — not warm
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bear — to put up with

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