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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cell — in biology
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. squash — the sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rash — a series
  12. shower — rain
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — a supporter

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