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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — a lid
  3. snap — to click
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fall — the season
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kick — in football
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. squash — the sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. march — the month
  23. cap — a hat
  24. march — music

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