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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — the sport
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — in football
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — to crush
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. last — finally
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — final
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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