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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — a break
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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