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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: squash · date · game · pound · root · snap · rest · can

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. date — the fruit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. root — of a word
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — the cause
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rest — what's left
  17. can — a tin
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pound — a weight
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a match

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