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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rule — a law
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wind — moving air
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — a trail
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — government
  15. club — a group
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a line of people
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. file — a tool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. file — a document
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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