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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. season — of the year
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. track — a song
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — a law
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rule — government
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. season — in sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — wild animals

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