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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 120 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: rest · swing · squash · spell · last · leaves · pass · sharp

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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 — to crush
  2. rest — a break
  3. spell — letters
  4. last — finally
  5. swing — music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — magic
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spell — a short time
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. squash — the sport
  23. swing — to play on
  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