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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. suit — clothes
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mate — a partner
  19. last — final
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. suit — in cards

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