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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader

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