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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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. rock — a stone
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rock — music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a music group
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bank — of a river
  15. game — a match
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. band — a ring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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