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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. squash — to crush
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — completely
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. swing — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — army training
  21. squash — the sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — animal skin

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