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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. club — for golf
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cold — not warm
  5. firm — a company
  6. last — to go on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. firm — decided
  10. row — a line
  11. cold — an illness
  12. last — finally
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. firm — steady
  24. ruler — for measuring

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