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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — high quality
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fine — all right
  11. bass — low music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. shower — rain
  15. lean — thin
  16. squash — to crush
  17. club — a group
  18. pound — a weight
  19. club — for golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bass — the fish
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pound — to hit hard

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