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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — finally
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. game — a kind of play

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