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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — a friend
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. drill — the tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mate — a partner
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — part of the head
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mate — to breed
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — a break
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. face — to confront
  24. rest — what's left

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