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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — a container
  6. dip — to sink
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cap — a lid
  13. last — final
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cap — a hat
  19. last — to go on
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. degree — an amount
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. snap — to click
  24. degree — temperature

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