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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lie — to recline
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — to go on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — final
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to confront
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. craft — boats
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. squash — to crush

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