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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — final
  4. firm — steady
  5. cue — for pool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — to go on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. cue — a signal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. last — finally
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — a hint
  17. firm — decided
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — a company
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — moving air
  22. squash — the sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — to trim

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