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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: pass · foot · content · rest · mug · squash · cold · firm

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. foot — a measure
  3. firm — a company
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. firm — decided
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pass — a permit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. content — happy
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — a face
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rest — a break
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. squash — to crush
  19. firm — steady
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. content — the amount
  24. mug — to rob

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