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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. last — finally
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. last — to go on
  11. hand — help
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — in cards
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — the sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — final
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — a stone
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fan — to cool the air

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