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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — clever
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — happy
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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