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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — a thing
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — in a road
  15. object — to protest
  16. saw — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. race — a contest
  19. object — an aim
  20. race — humankind
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. squash — to crush

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