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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 124 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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — the fruit
  3. current — happening now
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. clip — to cut
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — for paper
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a cup
  21. clip — a video
  22. content — the amount
  23. current — of water
  24. mug — to rob

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