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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — rain
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — from a university
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — an amount

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