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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. press — to push
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. root — the cause
  21. cap — of ice
  22. press — newspapers
  23. root — of a word
  24. press — a publisher

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