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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — government
  11. face — part of the head
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. rock — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mug — a face

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