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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — in sport
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cell — a phone
  17. season — of the year
  18. row — to paddle
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. squash — to crush

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