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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. dip — to sink
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of a king
  16. fall — the season
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lean — thin
  24. dip — to dunk

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