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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. present — the time now
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — there
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. kick — in football
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — to drop
  18. present — a gift
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rush — a thrill

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