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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fall — the season
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — child
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pit — in a race
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — to spend time

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