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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — the season
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — all right
  7. snap — to click
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fine — high quality
  14. spring — of water
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pit — a hole
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bound — certain
  21. mug — a face
  22. squash — to crush
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — tied together

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