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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. staff — a stick
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — to keep track
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — a song
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. squash — the sport

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