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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. present — the time now
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cue — a hint
  6. present — a gift
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. spring — the season
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a signal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. present — there
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lie — to recline
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wave — of the sea

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