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

Word bank: pit · cap · stick · squash · spring · plane · lie · racket

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. squash — the sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lie — to recline
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — of water
  16. cap — of ice
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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