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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — the sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. root — the cause
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — clever
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — all right
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cap — a hat
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fine — high quality
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — a penalty

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