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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — the sport
  5. hand — help
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cold — an illness
  11. firm — steady
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — letters
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spell — magic
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. firm — decided

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