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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. charge — electricity
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — the fish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fine — high quality
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. squash — to crush
  14. charge — a price
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bass — low music
  17. charge — in control
  18. fine — all right
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ground — the earth
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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