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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bowl — a dish

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