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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fall — to drop
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — in music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fall — the season
  15. drill — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a path
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. drill — army training
  23. lean — to bend
  24. track — a song

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