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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. can — to be able to
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — a country
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — ground
  11. rock — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rock — a stone
  21. land — to come down
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to click

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