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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chest — a box
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lean — thin
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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