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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. land — ground
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — the fish
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. rash — hasty

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