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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mate — to breed
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. scale — in music
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. kick — in football
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mate — a friend
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. band — a ring

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