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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. squash — to crush
  3. drill — army training
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fall — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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