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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. land — ground
  24. file — a tool

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