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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kick — in football
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — of the year

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