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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. mate — a friend
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — in cards
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pass — a permit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sports field

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