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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — a gift
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pit — in a race
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — there
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. present — the time now
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kid — child
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — the season
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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