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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — in music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spring — the season
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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