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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. club — for golf
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cell — a phone
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. content — happy
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. club — a group
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cell — in biology

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