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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pop — music
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mate — a partner
  22. squash — the sport
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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