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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — a position
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mug — a face
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — to push
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. squash — the sport
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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