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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mug — to rob
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — a container
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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