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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cell — a phone
  8. present — the time now
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. object — a thing
  11. present — a gift
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. present — there
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. firm — decided
  18. object — to protest
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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