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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — tied together
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. charge — in control
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. charge — a price
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. march — music
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — not warm
  20. snap — to click
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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