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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. club — a group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mark — a trace
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mark — a grade
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — for dancing
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. squash — the sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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