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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. suit — to fit
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. file — a document
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — a series
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. squash — to crush
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — all right
  24. bore — to tire

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