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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — the amount
  9. game — a match
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — happy
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — the sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. squash — to crush
  24. sharp — exactly

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