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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. suit — in cards
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — to sink
  9. suit — clothes
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. swing — in golf
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cold — not warm
  15. suit — to fit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cold — an illness
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to confront
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — to dunk

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