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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rock — music
  4. track — a path
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. toast — bread
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a song
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. track — to keep track

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