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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — final
  4. spring — of water
  5. suit — to fit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — the amount
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — finally
  12. spring — a coil
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — a contest
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. content — happy
  19. last — to go on
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. spring — the season
  23. suit — clothes
  24. race — the arms race

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