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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cell — in biology
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to succeed

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