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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — to crush
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. present — a gift
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — to handle
  11. present — the time now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the sport

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