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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 · chip · tear · pound · squash · rush · mate · band

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mate — a partner
  4. squash — the sport
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — a friend
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tear — from crying

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