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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. firm — decided
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. firm — a company
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. squash — to crush
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. firm — steady
  12. kick — in football
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — army training
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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