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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. vault — a safe
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in biology
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fan — a supporter
  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