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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. can — a tin
  11. suit — to fit
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. object — an aim
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — a group
  17. suit — clothes
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bat — the animal
  23. club — for golf
  24. object — a thing

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