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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. staff — employees
  3. cell — in biology
  4. last — final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. ball — a great time
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — finally
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lie — to recline
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — to grow
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — in the ear
  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