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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chest — a box
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — of law
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — thin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of a king

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