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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. chip — to eat
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — after costs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. lean — to bend
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. arm — a part of something

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