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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — ground
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — a break
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. land — to come down
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mine — an explosive

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