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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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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — a hint
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fine — all right
  9. scale — in music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — to be able to
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kid — child
  20. cue — for pool
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fine — high quality

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