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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rash — a series
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — hasty
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. squash — the sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wound — an injury
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — a jug

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