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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rule — government
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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