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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. current — electric
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. current — happening now
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — of water
  14. ball — a great time
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a dance

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