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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 not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. content — happy
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — a stone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rock — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lie — to recline

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