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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 124 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. foot — a measure
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bass — low music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to click
  9. cue — a hint
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — a signal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bank — for money
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bank — for money
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. squash — the sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bank — of a river

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