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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rock — music
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rock — a stone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. can — a tin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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