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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chip — to eat
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — a permit
  8. perch — the fish
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rush — hurry

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