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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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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 · roll · pound · pit · shower · wake · swing · cap

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pit — a hole
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — to wash
  10. roll — a list
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pound — a weight
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. squash — the sport
  22. swing — music
  23. cap — a hat
  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