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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — to crush
  5. track — a path
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. track — to keep track
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — a line
  18. vault — a safe
  19. track — a song
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bound — certain
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. foot — the bottom

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