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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — a line
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. perch — the fish
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — to paddle

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