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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. key — for a lock
  3. object — an aim
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. object — a thing
  6. mate — to breed
  7. club — for golf
  8. object — to protest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stand — to bear
  11. key — the most important part
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bass — low music
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. squash — the sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. key — in music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stand — on your feet

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