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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mate — to breed
  4. squash — the sport
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. firm — a company
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. file — a document
  14. pop — soda
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — final
  20. squash — to crush
  21. last — to go on
  22. file — a tool
  23. last — finally
  24. squash — the vegetable

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