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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: ruler · squash · rash · mine · vault · row · toast · snap

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. toast — bread
  3. rash — a series
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. squash — to crush
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. squash — the sport

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