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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: mark · spell · content · ground · squash · file · rock · can

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rock — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rock — a stone
  17. file — a line of people
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. content — happy
  22. mark — a grade
  23. squash — the sport
  24. content — the amount

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