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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mate — a friend
  5. squash — the sport
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — of water
  18. suit — clothes
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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