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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — low music
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. board — a committee
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rest — a break
  20. object — to protest
  21. rash — hasty
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. rash — on the skin

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