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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. last — final
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. track — a path
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a song
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a hole

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