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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — rain
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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