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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · squash · pound · pitcher · cold · bay · sharp · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — letters
  10. toast — bread
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. squash — the sport
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — to crush

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