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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — after costs
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — in biology
  7. squash — the sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. net — for catching
  11. root — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. object — an aim
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. squash — to crush
  17. object — a thing
  18. root — the cause
  19. vault — a safe
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — in sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. root — of a word
  24. cell — a phone

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