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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — to get on
  9. can — a tin
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. scale — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. squash — the sport
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in biology

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