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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — clever
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — completely
  24. tear — from crying

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