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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — to come down
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — a box
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — hasty
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. suit — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. suit — clothes
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — a part of something

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