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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — happening now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — to fit
  15. current — of water
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — a country
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — clothes
  21. squash — to crush
  22. current — electric
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — a leader

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