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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a match
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — a measure
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fall — the season
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. band — a rubber band

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