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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rule — a law
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — the sport
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rule — government
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — for digging

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