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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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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 · hand · race · stick · dip · game · rest · saw

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — the arms race
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rest — a break
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hand — help
  14. game — a match
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. race — a contest
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — part of the body

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