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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · present · stick · pass · spell · field · drill · squash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — army training
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. present — the time now
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. present — there
  15. spell — a short time
  16. field — for sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. field — farmland
  20. present — a gift
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. drill — the tool

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