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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pop — music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pop — to visit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — soda
  8. rush — hurry
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — tied together
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — obliged
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fall — the season
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rule — a law
  21. bound — certain
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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