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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — all right
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — to rip
  14. current — electric
  15. board — a committee
  16. current — happening now
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — of water
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — magic
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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