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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — in golf
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. squash — the sport
  21. swing — to play on
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cap — of ice

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