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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — child
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. nail — on a finger

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