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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — a series
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. squash — the sport
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. roll — a list
  8. cap — of ice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — a lid
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — a stick
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — on the skin

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