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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — to crush
  5. can — a tin
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — rain
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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