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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: scale · foot · squash · tear · stick · cue · dip · game

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. foot — a measure
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — in music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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