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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. land — a country
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — high quality
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lean — thin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. fine — all right
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spring — of water
  20. land — ground
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. spring — the season
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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