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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. kid — child
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. track — a path
  9. vault — a safe
  10. band — a music group
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. track — a song
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. nail — for a hammer

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