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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. spell — magic
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. date — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. last — finally
  9. tear — to rip
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fork — in a road
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — letters
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. squash — to crush
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to sink
  23. last — final
  24. squash — the sport

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