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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. swing — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to click
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. swing — in golf
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rest — what's left
  24. squash — the vegetable

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