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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 124 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. drill — army training
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. shower — rain
  17. drill — a practice
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — the tool
  24. lie — to recline

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