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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. deal — to handle
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — a match
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — of water
  24. deal — an agreement

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