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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: wound · vault · bowl · rest · land · pass · arm · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. land — ground
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. squash — the sport
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rest — a break
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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