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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. firm — a company
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. fork — in a road
  13. firm — steady
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. firm — decided
  16. pound — a weight
  17. club — for dancing
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hand — help
  21. club — a group
  22. tube — the underground
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pound — to hit hard

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