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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — to crush
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — a hole
  24. squash — the sport

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