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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — to crush
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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