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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — the underground
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. game — a match
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mark — a trace
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a grade

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