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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bass — low music
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. mine — for digging
  13. track — a song
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. kick — in football
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. arm — part of the body

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