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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 best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the sport
  6. club — a group
  7. rest — a break
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — for betting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — to play on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chip — to eat
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for golf
  22. cap — a lid
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. swing — music

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