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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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Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. present — the time now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — there
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bass — low music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bass — the fish
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lie — to recline

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