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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: lash · roll · sharp · pop · leaves · squash · object · ball

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a cake
  3. object — a thing
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — soda
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. squash — to crush
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ball — a great time
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pop — music

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