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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — a country
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wake — a trail
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mug — a cup
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. firm — steady
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — in cards
  19. land — ground
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — to come down
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. track — a song

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