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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. game — a match
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — magic
  24. game — wild animals

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