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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bound — tied together
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — in music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — help
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — certain
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hand — in cards

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