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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · squash · chest · bulb · bowl · game · sharp · lie

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chest — a box
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — to recline
  13. game — wild animals
  14. squash — to crush
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — a match
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rest — a break
  24. bulb — of a plant

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