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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — help
  10. season — of the year
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — in sport
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pit — a hole
  22. suit — clothes
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stem — a stem cell

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