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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — the earth
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — hurry

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