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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stand — to bear
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. spell — magic
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — letters
  21. pop — music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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