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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. row — a line
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. game — a match
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — to put up with

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