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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lean — thin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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