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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. lean — thin
  4. board — to get on
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lean — to bend
  10. file — a document
  11. board — a committee
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. file — a tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — a trail
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — in football
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — before a funeral

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