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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rash — hasty
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — to protest
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. object — a thing
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — a series
  17. game — a match
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. object — an aim

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