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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tube — a container
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. last — finally
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cell — in biology
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — final
  18. fine — all right
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. snap — to click
  23. squash — the sport
  24. last — to go on

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