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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. object — an aim
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ground — a position
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — to protest
  24. ground — crushed

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