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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fork — in a road
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — money
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tube — a container
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fork — a garden tool

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