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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — to tease
  3. date — the fruit
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. squash — the sport
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — to sink
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pass — to spend time

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