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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · fine · ball · squash · root · plane · present · cold

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. fine — all right
  5. cold — an illness
  6. squash — to crush
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. root — the cause
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a great time
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to click
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ball — a dance
  23. plane — a tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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