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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 116 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — the tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. drill — a practice
  8. land — to come down
  9. mug — a cup
  10. swing — to play on
  11. scale — in music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. swing — in golf
  14. land — a country
  15. rest — what's left
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. swing — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — size or range
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — army training

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