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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. current — happening now
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. current — of water
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. squash — to crush
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — for light

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