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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — to crush
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. root — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. root — of a word
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. club — a group
  24. root — the cause

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