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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — a series
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — help
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — low music
  24. rash — on the skin

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