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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to bend
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — the animal
  10. scale — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — to bear

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