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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
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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: lie · march · pitcher · content · lean · spring · bowl · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. march — the month
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. content — the amount
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — to recline
  13. squash — to crush
  14. content — happy
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — music
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — thin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — an untruth

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