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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — a series
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. squash — the sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — to come down
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — ground
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rock — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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