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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — the sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cue — a hint
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. can — a tin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — the season
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — of water
  24. march — the month

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