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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. club — a group
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. squash — to crush
  15. capital — money
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lean — thin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rock — to move gently

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