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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. board — to get on
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. board — a committee
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bore — gave birth

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