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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. field — a subject
  3. rest — what's left
  4. firm — steady
  5. rest — a break
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. firm — decided
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — of water
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — happening now
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — in football
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rush — hurry
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cap — of ice
  19. current — electric
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — a company
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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