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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — a grade
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — a container
  24. mark — a trace

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