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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a signal
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cue — a hint
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — a safe
  14. row — a line
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. land — ground
  19. cue — for pool
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. land — a country
  24. club — for golf

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