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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bound — certain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. swing — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. lean — thin

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