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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — final
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. race — the arms race
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — finally
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. suit — in cards
  19. club — for golf
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. last — to go on

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