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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — in music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lean — to bend
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. squash — the sport
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. object — an aim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. object — a thing
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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