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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — to go on
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. last — finally
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lean — to bend

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