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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pop — soda
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kid — child
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pop — music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. date — on the calendar

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