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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. face — to confront
  3. mug — a cup
  4. land — to come down
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — in sport
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mug — a face
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — a break
  18. mug — to rob
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — music
  24. season — of the year

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