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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · squash · face · racket · land · chip · mate · lash

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mate — a friend
  5. land — to come down
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. chip — to eat
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — to crush
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — for betting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — a country

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