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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rash — a series
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. sharp — clever
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. game — a match
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pitcher — a jug

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