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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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. squash — the sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fine — all right
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. deal — to handle
  23. board — a committee
  24. spring — a coil

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