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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 124 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. roll — a cake
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. roll — a list
  14. kid — child
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — a match
  17. bound — certain
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. foot — a measure
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. fork — in a road

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