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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — a break
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rash — a series
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. board — a committee
  23. spell — magic
  24. squash — to crush

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