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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. foot — a measure
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — for sport
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. field — a subject
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. field — farmland

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