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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. rule — government
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. land — a country
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cue — for pool
  14. game — a match
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rule — a law
  23. squash — the sport
  24. game — a kind of play

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