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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — to crush
  4. can — a tin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — a coil
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. club — a group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — rain
  24. squash — the vegetable

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