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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — shares
  9. bear — the animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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