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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. object — a thing
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. root — the cause
  6. object — to protest
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. object — an aim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — not warm
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — the sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — a list
  24. ball — a dance

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