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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rock — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — for sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — to tire
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — letters
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — in sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rock — a stone
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — to crush

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