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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. present — the time now
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lean — to bend
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — the fish
  11. present — there
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — a face
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mug — a cup
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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