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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — a position
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — crushed
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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