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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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. mate — a partner
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wake — a trail
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mug — a face
  15. mate — to breed
  16. tear — to rip
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — help
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. squash — the vegetable

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