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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. object — a thing
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — to protest
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pit — a hole
  20. row — a line
  21. net — after costs
  22. land — ground
  23. row — to paddle
  24. net — in sport

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