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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tear — to rip
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bound — certain
  9. cue — a hint
  10. squash — to crush
  11. current — of water
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. snap — to click
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — obliged
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. current — happening now
  24. bound — tied together

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