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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fine — all right
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. content — happy
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lean — to bend
  12. content — the amount
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a match
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. coach — a trainer

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