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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. lean — thin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rock — music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fall — the season
  22. cue — a signal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cell — in biology

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