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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rush — hurry
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — a cake
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ball — a great time

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