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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — magic
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. squash — the sport
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. ground — a position

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