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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — to sink
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. track — a path
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spell — letters

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