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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. squash — to crush
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. drill — the tool
  5. perch — the fish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rule — a law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. hand — help
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rule — government
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. rule — to rule out

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