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

Word bank: squash · ground · rest · straw · cell · key · fine · safe

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cell — a phone
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rest — a break
  11. key — for a lock
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in biology
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ground — crushed
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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