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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — a series
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — in a road
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mug — a face

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