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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 116 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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spell — magic
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — thin
  11. mate — a partner
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mate — to breed
  14. board — a committee
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lean — to bend
  18. squash — the sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chair — a leader

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