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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. race — a contest
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. squash — to crush
  7. present — there
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — in golf
  16. race — the arms race
  17. swing — music
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. staff — a stick

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