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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pass — a permit
  5. season — in sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fall — the season
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — the animal

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