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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — the sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — a tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rock — music
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — a stone
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. tear — from crying
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — to rip

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