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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rest — a break
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — certain
  14. file — a document
  15. squash — the sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. squash — to crush
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a line

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