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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — to crush
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mug — a cup
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lean — thin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. scale — size or range
  16. squash — the sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wound — an injury

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