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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. last — finally
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — final
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bark — to shout
  20. scale — in music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cap — of ice
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pound — a weight

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