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

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. firm — a company
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. file — a document
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — money
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lean — to bend
  15. squash — the sport
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. firm — steady
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitcher — a jug

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