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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. can — a tin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — a video
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — thin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. net — for catching
  12. kick — in football
  13. net — after costs
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. net — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. toast — bread
  22. clip — to cut
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rash — hasty

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