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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — a container
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — decided
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. firm — a company
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — to crush
  12. firm — steady
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fan — to cool the air

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