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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. object — to protest
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — an aim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bound — certain
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. key — in music
  20. season — of the year
  21. object — a thing
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — a trail

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