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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stand — to bear
  9. tear — to rip
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a great time
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a dance
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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