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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lean — thin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. firm — decided
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. firm — a company
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. firm — steady
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pitcher — a jug

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