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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kick — in football
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. squash — the sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — for golf
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — a box
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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