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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. lean — thin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — the amount
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. content — happy
  18. bass — the fish
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lean — to rest against

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