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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: mate · date · straw · hand · squash · board · vault · firm

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mate — a friend
  4. date — the fruit
  5. board — to get on
  6. firm — steady
  7. vault — a safe
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mate — a partner
  11. firm — a company
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. firm — decided
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — help
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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