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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. band — a ring
  3. swing — to play on
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to click
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. squash — the sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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