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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. file — a tool
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a line of people
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — of a river
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rest — a break
  21. bank — for money
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — for money
  24. file — a document

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