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

Word bank: row · shower · pitcher · lean · deal · rest · squash · cell

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — a phone
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — rain
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — thin
  19. rest — a break
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. squash — the sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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