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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bore — to drill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — an injury
  10. prune — to trim
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rule — a law
  14. bore — to tire
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — a place of worship

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