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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lean — thin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. charge — in control
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. charge — a price
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. charge — electricity

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