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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 120 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — the sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — a match
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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