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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. board — to get on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pop — soda
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spell — a short time
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lean — thin
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spell — magic
  24. chest — a box

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