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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. pop — soda
  3. ground — a position
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pop — music
  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