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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cue — for pool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mine — for digging
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spring — of water
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — to hurry

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