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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — child
  13. squash — to crush
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — the sport
  16. season — in sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spell — a short time
  24. straw — dry grass

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