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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bank — for money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. object — a thing
  21. bank — for money
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bank — of a river
  24. swing — music

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