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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. object — an aim
  8. drill — army training
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. object — a thing
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — to crush
  16. object — to protest
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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