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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — to bend
  8. kick — in football
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. charge — in control
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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