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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. staff — employees
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bound — obliged
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bound — tied together

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