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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. cap — a lid
  5. last — finally
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pit — a hole
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — tied together
  16. key — for a lock
  17. squash — to crush
  18. key — in music
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fork — a garden tool

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