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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. content — happy
  5. kick — in football
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fork — in a road
  9. squash — the sport
  10. land — ground
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — a gift
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. land — a country
  16. rule — a law
  17. present — there
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — the time now

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