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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. can — a tin
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tube — a container
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — in music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in biology
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — a phone

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