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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. net — for catching
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stem — to come from
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. net — after costs
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mug — a face
  23. game — a match
  24. racket — for tennis

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