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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — for money
  7. current — of water
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kid — child
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — a contest
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chest — a box
  19. squash — to crush
  20. race — humankind
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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