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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lean — thin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lash — to lash out

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