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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — hurry
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kid — child
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — to get on
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wake — a trail
  21. board — a committee
  22. bore — to tire
  23. kid — to tease
  24. prune — to trim

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