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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pop — soda
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a document
  14. squash — the sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — for money
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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