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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — from crying
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. squash — to crush
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a dance

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