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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fall — to drop
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — ground
  24. squash — the sport

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