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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. plane — a tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. band — a ring
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mate — to breed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a friend
  16. squash — the sport
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. band — a music group
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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