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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. last — to go on
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — government
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hand — help
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — letters
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. leaves — to go away

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