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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. swing — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — a hat
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. suit — to fit
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — in golf

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