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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rash — hasty
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — for pool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fall — the season
  16. rash — a series
  17. cue — a hint
  18. row — to paddle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cue — a signal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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