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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. key — the most important part
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. key — in music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ground — crushed
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — for a lock
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — help
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. land — to come down

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