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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — letters
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — a short time
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. plane — a tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bore — gave birth

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