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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mark — a trace
  5. firm — decided
  6. spring — of water
  7. lean — thin
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — the season
  11. mark — a grade
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bass — the fish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bass — low music
  19. firm — steady
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. firm — a company
  24. sharp — with an edge

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