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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lean — to bend
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. club — a group
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — thin
  9. club — for golf
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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