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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — a subject
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — farmland
  21. bore — to tire
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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