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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. squash — to crush

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