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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cell — in biology
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pound — a weight
  10. foot — a measure
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cell — a phone
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — a list
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. foot — the bottom

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