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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. squash — to crush
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — thin
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. press — to push
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — a publisher

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