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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — letters
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rush — hurry
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spell — magic
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rush — a thrill

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