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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rush — hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. club — for dancing
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ball — a great time
  18. can — a tin
  19. club — for golf
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. club — a group
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — in a road

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