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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. snap — to click
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. field — farmland
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — rain
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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