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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. root — of a plant
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. root — of a word
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the sport
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. dip — to sink
  17. roll — a cake
  18. root — the cause
  19. club — a group
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. club — for dancing
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mine — an explosive

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