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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: hand · cue · bass · saw · suit · root · mate · squash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hand — help
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cue — a signal
  23. root — the cause
  24. bass — the instrument

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