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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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the fish
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pass — to succeed

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