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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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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: cabinet · pop · bat · bulb · squash · snap · fork · present

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. present — the time now
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pop — to visit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. present — a gift
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. present — there
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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