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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — final
  8. chest — a box
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — to go on
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stock — goods
  23. tube — a container
  24. cue — a hint

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