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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · squash · march · toast · bowl · cold · chest · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. toast — bread
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. squash — the sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — a box
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lie — to recline
  22. march — music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cold — not warm

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