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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — in a race
  4. spring — of water
  5. court — of law
  6. suit — to fit
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — the season
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. suit — in cards
  18. court — of a king
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — for sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. suit — clothes
  24. dip — a sauce

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