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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — happy
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. shower — to wash
  18. toast — bread
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — thin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — clever

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