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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spell — a short time
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — thin
  24. lie — an untruth

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