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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — final
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. track — a path
  7. last — finally
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — to crush
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. swing — in golf
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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