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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — of the year
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. spell — magic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a dish

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