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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stem — to come from
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. game — a match
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — a song
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. safe — a strongbox

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