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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — a series
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. firm — steady
  9. rash — hasty
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. court — for sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. land — a country
  19. land — ground
  20. court — of law
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — a hat
  24. firm — decided

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