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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the sport
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — the season
  18. row — a line
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. row — to paddle

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