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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — a lid
  3. squash — to crush
  4. file — a document
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tear — to rip
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. squash — the sport
  24. tear — from crying

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