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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — not warm
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stand — to bear
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lean — thin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitch — a sports field

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