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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. drill — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. drill — army training
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. spring — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. squash — the sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. net — after costs
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. net — for catching

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