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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a music group
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — to rob
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — a face
  15. capital — a city
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. face — to confront
  18. chair — a leader
  19. face — to point toward
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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