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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fall — the season
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — to paddle

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