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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · tube · bore · ball · snap · squash · pitcher · toast

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bore — to tire
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — a container
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — bread
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — letters
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a dance
  23. tube — the underground
  24. squash — to crush

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