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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — letters
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. current — electric
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pop — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cold — an illness

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