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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — the sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. last — final
  10. rash — a series
  11. last — finally
  12. lean — thin
  13. pop — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pop — soda
  17. fine — all right
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. squash — to crush
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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