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

Word bank: kick · snap · bowl · foot · stick · pass · spell · squash

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. snap — to click
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pass — a permit
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — magic
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. spell — letters
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kick — in football

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