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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — a tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — of water
  8. fall — the season
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — electric
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — a price
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. squash — the sport

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