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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — from crying
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ball — a great time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mug — a face
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tear — to rip
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ball — a dance

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