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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. march — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rule — government
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — a path
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bat — the animal
  10. track — a song
  11. rule — a law
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — a stone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. face — to confront
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — the month

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