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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. pound — a weight
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. kid — child
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pass — a permit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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