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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. land — to come down
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. land — ground
  9. net — for catching
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. land — a country
  12. net — in sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kick — in football
  19. net — after costs
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. squash — to crush
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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