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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. squash — to crush
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rock — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to click
  18. race — the arms race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — there
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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