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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. last — finally
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — final
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. racket — for tennis

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