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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — a series
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rock — music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — hasty
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. spring — of water
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rock — a stone
  18. squash — to crush
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the sport

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