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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — a tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — a box
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pound — a weight
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — an aircraft

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