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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 120 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — the sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a tool
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. file — a document
  14. pitch — completely
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — to handle
  19. file — a line of people
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. can — a tin

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