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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — of a word
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. pop — soda
  9. root — the cause
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bore — to drill
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pop — to visit
  24. shower — to wash

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