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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. plane — a tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. suit — in cards
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — in cards
  19. clip — a video
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — to cut
  24. plane — in geometry

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