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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: snap · field · mark · straw · object · squash · present · rock

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mark — a trace
  8. squash — the sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — a subject
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — there
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rock — a stone
  23. present — a gift
  24. straw — a straw man

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