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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spring — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — the arms race
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — a grade
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — to push
  22. race — humankind
  23. tube — the underground
  24. race — a contest

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