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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · squash · mug · vault · dip · row · straw · field

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. field — a subject
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — for digging
  7. field — farmland
  8. row — a line
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mug — a cup
  15. field — for sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. straw — dry grass

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