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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — a match
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. branch — a division
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rest — a break

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