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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chest — of your body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. chest — a box
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — certain
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to confront
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. file — a line of people
  24. dip — to sink

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