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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chip — for betting
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — thin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lie — to recline
  22. craft — boats
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chip — in a computer

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