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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — hurry
  3. net — for catching
  4. track — a path
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bass — the fish
  7. track — a song
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pit — in a race
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pound — a weight
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — after costs
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bass — low music

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