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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chip — to eat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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