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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. craft — a skill
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. kick — in football
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. spring — a coil
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — help
  20. craft — boats
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. kick — a thrill

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