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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rest — a break
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — in biology
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lean — thin
  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