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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — a song
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a music group
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. last — final
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — to recline

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