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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. firm — steady
  3. present — there
  4. last — to go on
  5. face — to point toward
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — final
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. firm — a company
  20. pass — a permit
  21. present — a gift
  22. firm — decided
  23. last — finally
  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