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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pass — a permit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. swing — in golf
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. game — a match

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