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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — final
  4. fall — the season
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — clothes
  10. land — a country
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. land — to come down
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — to go on
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — finally
  23. rest — a break
  24. land — ground

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