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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. march — music
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — in cards
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — bread
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — a tin

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