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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hand — in cards
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — a match
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. scale — size or range
  24. dip — to dunk

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