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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. scale — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lean — thin
  5. court — of law
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — crushed
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rash — a series
  14. scale — size or range
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — of the year
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ground — a position
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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