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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — a line
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rock — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — an injury
  24. swing — music

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