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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. drill — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cold — not warm
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — an illness
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — army training
  16. field — a subject
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — farmland
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chip — to eat
  24. lie — an untruth

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