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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — a country
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lean — thin
  23. clip — to cut
  24. land — ground

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