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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rest — a break
  8. squash — the sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — for catching
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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