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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. file — a document
  5. lean — thin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cell — in biology
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to

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