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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spring — a coil
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. deal — to handle
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. squash — to crush
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — hurry
  21. roll — a list
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — obliged
  24. deal — an agreement

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