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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. charge — in control
  10. pop — soda
  11. bore — to drill
  12. craft — boats
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pop — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. charge — electricity
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. squash — to crush

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