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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kid — child
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — steady
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. press — a publisher
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. firm — decided
  15. press — newspapers
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — to rip
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — to push
  23. firm — a company
  24. kid — to tease

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