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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 120 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. firm — steady
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — a series
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — the season
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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