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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — a short time
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — tied together
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stock — goods
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stock — shares
  24. vault — a safe

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