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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. swing — music
  4. hand — help
  5. can — to be able to
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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