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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. row — a line
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ground — the earth
  16. squash — to crush
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fine — all right
  24. lean — thin

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