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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — in sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — to come from
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — magic
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — a series
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — of the year

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