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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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