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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — for digging
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. snap — to click
  14. drill — a practice
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. vault — a safe
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — ground
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — to come down

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