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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. swing — to play on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. swing — in golf
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — music
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. file — a tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. file — a document
  21. foot — a measure
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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