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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. tear — from crying
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. present — a gift
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. object — an aim
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spell — letters
  20. present — the time now
  21. bark — to shout
  22. squash — the sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. present — there

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