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

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spell — letters
  6. root — of a word
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. land — a country
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — tied together
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — obliged
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. prune — to trim

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