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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lean — thin
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hand — help
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — of water

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