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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — a practice
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. drill — army training
  10. present — there
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. present — the time now
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chest — of your body
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — for spectators

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