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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spell — letters
  6. cold — an illness
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — in biology
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to tire
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bore — to drill
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cold — not warm
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in a prison

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