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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. snap — to click
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a partner
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. roll — a list
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — to crush
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — to breed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. toast — bread
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — a supporter

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