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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rock — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. race — a contest
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rush — hurry
  11. snap — to click
  12. race — humankind
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ball — a dance
  20. season — in sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — of the year
  24. rush — a thrill

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