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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. content — the amount
  3. shower — rain
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — to rob
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mug — a cup
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — thin
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — a face
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. current — of water
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to confront
  19. fall — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — electric
  24. squash — the sport

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