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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — a group
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — employees
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. staff — a stick
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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