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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. band — a music group
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rush — hurry
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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