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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — letters
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — thin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spell — magic
  10. toast — bread
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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