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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mate — a partner
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. mate — a friend
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mate — to breed

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