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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. squash — to crush
  3. plane — a tool
  4. last — finally
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — final
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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