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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rash — hasty
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. foot — a measure
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. march — the month
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rush — to 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