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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. rule — government
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. sharp — clever
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. march — music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rule — a law
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — to crush

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