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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tube — the underground
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. tube — a container

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