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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · stock · cap · cue · face · wound · ruler · kid

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cap — a hat
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stock — goods
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to confront
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. face — part of the head
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cue — a hint

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