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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ball — a great time
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a dance
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. field — farmland
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chip — to eat

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