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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — in sport
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — of the year
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — the season
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spring — of water
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mate — to breed

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