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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bass — low music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — the cause
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — of a word
  19. drill — the tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. roll — a list

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