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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — clever
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. track — a song
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — a weight
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — to keep track
  23. lie — to recline
  24. dip — a sauce

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