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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pit — a hole
  12. press — newspapers
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bulb — for light
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — humankind
  21. press — to push
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — in a race

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