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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — in music
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. squash — to crush
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. snap — to click
  14. squash — the sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bulb — for light
  17. row — a line
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. key — for a lock

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