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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — a position
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. ground — the earth
  8. snap — to click
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. land — to come down
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. bore — to tire
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tear — to rip
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. land — a country
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bore — gave birth

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