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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mate — to breed
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mate — a partner
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mate — a friend
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. saw — the tool
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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