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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. charge — a price
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. charge — electricity
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — to bear
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — in a road
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. squash — the sport

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