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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. squash — to crush
  3. saw — the tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. club — a group
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — for digging
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. club — for golf
  15. suit — to fit
  16. file — a tool
  17. suit — clothes
  18. vault — a safe
  19. squash — the sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. file — a document
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — the tool

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