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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. root — the cause
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wake — a trail
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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