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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — a partner
  4. net — in sport
  5. staff — a stick
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a friend
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. dip — to sink
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mate — to breed
  14. lean — thin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — letters
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spell — magic

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