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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rash — hasty
  23. club — for golf
  24. drill — army training

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