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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cold — not warm
  3. object — an aim
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. object — to protest
  9. press — newspapers
  10. track — to keep track
  11. land — ground
  12. shower — rain
  13. toast — bread
  14. press — to push
  15. object — a thing
  16. press — a publisher
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a path
  19. land — to come down
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. land — a country

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