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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kick — in football
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — hurry
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pit — in a race
  10. race — a contest
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. race — humankind
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. date — on the calendar

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