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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. cell — in biology
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — the arms race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stock — shares
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. squash — the sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — a contest
  20. vault — a safe
  21. race — humankind
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. squash — the vegetable

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