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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bore — to drill
  24. deal — an agreement

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