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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — to crush
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — happy
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spell — letters
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — ground
  12. squash — the sport
  13. land — a country
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — a hint
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — the amount
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chip — to eat

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