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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 116 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — to crush
  4. present — the time now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — there
  8. scale — in music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. present — a gift
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — army training
  14. cue — a hint
  15. clip — for paper
  16. content — the amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. squash — the sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — happy
  21. cue — for pool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cue — a signal

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