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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — a country
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rush — hurry
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — hasty
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. land — to come down

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