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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — hasty
  7. roll — a cake
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. board — to get on
  10. rash — a series
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. roll — a list
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — to bend
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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