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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cue — a signal
  8. swing — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — a song
  17. pop — music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cue — a hint

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