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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — part of the head
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spring — of water
  14. net — after costs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. current — electric
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. current — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — for catching
  23. current — happening now
  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