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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — in music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. last — final
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — finally
  12. pop — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pop — to visit
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lean — thin

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