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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pop — to visit
  9. roll — a cake
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pop — music
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. present — the time now

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