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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: pop · snap · pit · ground · march · row · cue · squash

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — music
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — music
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — soda
  11. row — a line
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pit — in a race
  14. march — the month
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cue — a signal
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. squash — the vegetable

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