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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. present — a gift
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — to wash
  7. present — the time now
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — rain
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — a list
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pound — a weight
  24. present — there

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