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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — a match
  4. pound — a weight
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stem — to come from
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — in sport

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