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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — the sport
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. drill — the tool
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. last — final
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — army training
  24. sharp — exactly

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