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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. press — to push
  10. field — farmland
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — in a road
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. field — a subject
  17. season — in sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — in cards
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. suit — to fit
  24. season — of the year

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