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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — for golf
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — a group
  10. snap — to click
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. net — for catching
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — for dancing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to bend

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