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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — for sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — clever
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — size or range
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tube — a container
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. current — electric
  24. staff — employees

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