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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: mate · dip · squash · deal · trunk · content · cue · wound

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cue — a signal
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. squash — to crush
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. content — the amount
  10. dip — to sink
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mate — a partner
  20. squash — the sport
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cue — a hint
  24. deal — to handle

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