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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fall — the season
  11. kick — in football
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — thin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chair — to sit on

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