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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 116 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 like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. object — a thing
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. object — an aim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. object — to protest
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. squash — the sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — not warm
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cold — an illness

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