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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — shares
  15. squash — the sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. vault — a safe
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — to handle
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. calf — a young animal

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