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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. content — happy
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. land — ground
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. content — the amount
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pit — a hole
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — a permit

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