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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wake — a trail
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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