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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 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — final
  5. pit — in a race
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. prune — to trim
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rock — a stone
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — a line
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — music
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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