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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. track — a song
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. row — a line
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — a path
  15. suit — in cards
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — to sink
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. band — a music group

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