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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. craft — boats
  3. swing — music
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. current — happening now
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to point toward
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — electric
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lie — to recline
  18. swing — in golf
  19. current — of water
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. face — part of the head
  22. vault — a safe
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — to confront

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