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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rest — a break
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bulb — for light
  12. plane — a tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — in biology
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — thin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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