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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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. squash — the sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. key — for a lock
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — the underground
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. root — of a word
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. key — the most important part
  22. foot — a measure
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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