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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 124 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fine — all right
  5. degree — an amount
  6. snap — to click
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lean — to bend
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mark — a grade
  14. lean — thin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. row — a line
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — to paddle
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — temperature

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