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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — tied together
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bound — obliged
  24. dip — to dunk

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