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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bark — to shout
  3. club — for golf
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rule — government
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for dancing
  8. can — to be able to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. bat — the animal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rule — a law
  18. squash — to crush
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. club — a group

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