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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — steady
  9. cue — a signal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cue — for pool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bank — for money
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — of a river
  18. clip — a video
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bank — for money
  21. firm — decided
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. squash — to crush
  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