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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — a trail
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. craft — a skill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — to breed
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. key — in music
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — to be able to

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