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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · lash · rest · chip · mug · game · squash · spell

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — letters
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — the sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cell — in biology
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spell — magic
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mug — a face
  24. game — a kind of play

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