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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chest — a box
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a dance
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ball — a great time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. temple — a place of worship

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