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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bank — of a river
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. game — a match
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — clever
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a partner
  23. squash — the sport
  24. date — the fruit

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