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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — boats
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pop — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — to play on
  24. dip — to sink

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