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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · lean · object · squash · face · rash · bowl · chest

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lean — thin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — to keep track
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. object — a thing

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