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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — the sport
  5. game — a match
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bound — certain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a line
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. game — wild animals

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