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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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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — all right
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mark — a grade
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged

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