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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pop — to visit
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. firm — steady
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — to shout
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. firm — a company
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — decided
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — a hat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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