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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tear — from crying
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — a weight
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — thin
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. game — a match
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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