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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — goods
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. spell — letters
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stock — shares
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. mine — an explosive

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