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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. key — in music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pop — soda
  21. key — for a lock
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rash — a series

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