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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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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: key · squash · lean · last · saw · rock · stand · swing

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. last — finally
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. key — in music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. last — to go on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — to crush
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lean — thin
  24. squash — the sport

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