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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — the amount
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — child
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bore — to tire
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chip — to eat
  20. scale — in music
  21. ground — a position
  22. chip — for betting
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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