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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — hurry
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. staff — employees
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — to confront
  24. squash — the sport

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