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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fall — the season
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. last — finally
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. last — final

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