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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — to protest
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lean — thin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — an aim
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — a leader
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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