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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. field — farmland
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fork — in a road
  13. prune — to trim
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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