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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cue — for pool
  3. root — the cause
  4. craft — boats
  5. band — a music group
  6. cue — a signal
  7. root — of a word
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. firm — steady
  13. craft — a skill
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. firm — a company
  16. root — of a plant
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. band — a ring
  19. cue — a hint
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. race — humankind
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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