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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — the fish
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. snap — to click
  8. board — a committee
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — a box
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. board — to get on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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