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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. face — to confront
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — happening now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. current — electric
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lean — to rest against

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