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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. track — a path
  3. firm — decided
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — an illness
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. firm — a company
  14. season — of the year
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. track — to keep track
  18. firm — steady
  19. cold — not warm
  20. track — a song
  21. foot — a measure
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. foot — part of the body

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