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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. lean — thin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — from a university
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — a break
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — an amount
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — a law
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lean — to rest against

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