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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pit — in a race
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — a container
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. press — to push
  9. tube — the underground
  10. perch — the fish
  11. press — a publisher
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. root — the cause
  14. game — wild animals
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — a match
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. press — newspapers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a hole
  23. root — of a plant
  24. nail — on a finger

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