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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — a break
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — a group
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for golf
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. band — a ring
  20. swing — music
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — help
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. key — the most important part

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