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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. row — a line
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. row — to paddle
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lie — to recline
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — a quarrel

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