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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kick — in football
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — certain
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rock — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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