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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mate — a friend
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. chip — to eat
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — a partner
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mate — to breed

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