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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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Word bank
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — hasty
  6. tube — the underground
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pitch — completely
  18. squash — the sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — a container

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