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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — the amount
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — finally
  10. content — happy
  11. drill — the tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — hurry
  15. last — final
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. drill — army training
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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