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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. squash — the sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. toast — bread
  15. snap — to click
  16. squash — to crush
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rock — music
  23. key — in music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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