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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — to crush
  3. firm — steady
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. track — a path
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. track — a song
  16. club — for golf
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — for digging
  19. club — for dancing
  20. squash — the sport
  21. firm — decided
  22. club — a group
  23. season — of the year
  24. track — to keep track

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