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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 124 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. firm — a company
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cell — a phone
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cell — in biology
  10. scale — in music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. firm — steady
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mate — a partner
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. firm — decided
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — a match
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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