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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. last — final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. last — finally
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. last — to go on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. drill — army training
  18. chip — for betting
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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