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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — child
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. swing — to play on
  10. squash — to crush
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rush — hurry
  14. roll — a cake
  15. toast — bread
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — to tease
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. squash — the sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. toast — the most admired

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