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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. firm — a company
  7. key — the most important part
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — decided
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. firm — steady
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  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