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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hand — in cards
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. plane — a tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. key — the most important part
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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