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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — music
  9. land — ground
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. squash — the sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — a country
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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