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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fall — the season
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lean — to bend

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