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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mug — a face
  8. band — a music group
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hand — help
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a ring
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mug — to rob

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