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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — of ice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. board — a committee
  19. kid — to tease
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cap — a hat
  24. perch — the fish

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