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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — all right
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — the sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ball — a dance
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fine — high quality
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ball — a round shape

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