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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to bend
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — temperature
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — thin

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