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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — music
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — a line
  10. object — a thing
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — soda
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — to protest
  22. season — of the year
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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