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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lean — thin
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — a thing
  23. lean — to bend
  24. toast — the most admired

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