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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — to go on
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — finally
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — magic
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — final
  16. spell — letters
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the sport

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