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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: squash · wound · arm · straw · bound · mug · pit · toast

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. squash — the sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mug — to rob
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — certain
  15. mug — a face
  16. toast — bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bound — tied together

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