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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pit — in a race
  8. club — a group
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lean — thin
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — for golf
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — goods
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — for dancing

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