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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. season — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — final
  6. field — for sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — farmland
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. last — finally
  11. scale — size or range
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — a subject
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. last — to go on
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. scale — in music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. plane — a tool

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