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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. key — in music
  3. march — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mine — for digging
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cell — in biology
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — belonging to me

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