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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. object — a thing
  4. ball — a great time
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spring — a coil
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spring — of water
  14. object — an aim
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. squash — the sport
  19. object — to protest
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. squash — to crush

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