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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bank — of a river
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — a trail
  21. squash — the sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. vault — a safe

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