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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. present — the time now
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — a gift
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spring — the season
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — a coil
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a hole
  16. present — there
  17. spring — of water
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mate — a partner
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — to breed

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