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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — low music
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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