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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — to crush
  5. shower — rain
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — in sport
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. ball — a great time
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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