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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — a law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mug — a cup
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — wild animals
  21. staff — employees
  22. mug — a face
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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