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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — for golf
  4. tube — a container
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — final
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — to bend
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — to go on
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — hurry
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — the season
  19. club — a group
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. object — a thing

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