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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fork — in a road
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. march — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. charge — a price
  22. march — the month
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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