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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 water is too ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cold — not warm
  3. net — after costs
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a grade
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — help
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cold — an illness
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pass — a permit
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. hand — in cards

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