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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mug — a face
  17. charge — in control
  18. object — to protest
  19. cell — in biology
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mug — to rob
  24. charge — a price

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