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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. season — in sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rest — a break
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ruler — a monarch

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